We Will Kiss Our Burning Bridges
by Wolfpoet
Summary: Teams RWBY and JNPR have been underperforming; they have become weaker. Ruby and Jaune are convinced it is their fault. Someone offers them a way to become stronger, but it comes with a price. How far will they go to become better leaders? (Screw summaries, I suck at them. It would help me out if you would leave a review) (Will contain harem)
1. Get the matches

_"The worst feeling, is that of letting down our friends. We will look to make up for it, to become stronger. So, when someone offers us a way to achieve that strength, we will accept it. No matter what the cost. _

_We Will Kiss Our Burning Bridges _

* * *

RWBY and JNPR. Sister teams, one led by Ruby Rose the other by Jaune Arc. The two teams had been amongst the top performers at Beacon. But, as of late, that has not been the case.

In the past few months, there has been a considerable decrease in the teams' performances. They'd failed on their last fifteen missions that they'd been sent on, because of sloppy mistakes. A pack of Beowolves escaped because a barrier had not been sealed correctly, six civilians badly injured because an area had not been properly evacuated, one of Torchwick's pack of goons got away with a whole shop worth of dust, a Nevermore was led into the city and did extensive damage before it was eliminated. Most recenly, the two teams had almost been killed when they walked right into a Deathstalker nest.

They'd received severe tongue-lashings from the professors, as well as a good amount of ridicule and mockery from their fellow students. But the ones that got it the worst were the leaders, the aforementioned Ruby Rose and Jaune Arc.

Ruby was constantly critiqued because of her young age. Phrases such as, _'A_ _child shouldn't be leading a team'_, and '_She's too young to be trusted with the lives of others' _became things she heard daily. Though her sister, Yang Xiao Long, often offered to beat the living daylights out of anyone who uttered these words, Ruby always told her to ignore them. But the young scythe wielder was having trouble doing that herself. The first time she was hit, she didn't say anything. It had been Russell Thrush. He had approached her when she was alone, told her he could help her 'redeem herself' if she did him a 'special' favor. Of course, Ruby declined. That's when he struck her, on the right side of her face. When everyone asked what happened, she told them she fell. She didn't want them to get involved.

Jaune also received both physical and verbal harassment. Cardin Winchester went back to bullying him and his team. Jaune attempted multiple times to make Cardin stop, but every time he tried to stand up to the bully, Cardin would push him back down. All of team CRDL began to tease him. They called him things like, _'Scrawny-Jauney' _and told him that he was a shame to the Arc name. Sometimes they punched or kicked him, just because they knew he wouldn't do anything about it.

That wasn't the worst of it, though. They could handle the abuse, both physical and verbal. But they couldn't handle the way their teammates looked at them. Though they tried to hide behind fake smiles and encouraging words, both Jaune and Ruby saw what was really in their eyes; disappointment.

All those failed missions, it was their fault. They hadn't made the right calls, or they hadn't made the calls fast enough. A couple of times it was because they weren't strong or fast enough.

They both trained hard, almost everyday. Jaune had Pyrrha to help him, while Ruby phoned her Uncle Qrow anytime she needed help. But that still wasn't enough. They still weren't good enough, at least not in their eyes.

Leaders were supposed to be strong not weak. They were supposed to always lead the charge, not cower behind someone else. They were supposed to be smart and wise, not some ignorant little kid.

Their teams deserved better.

* * *

Now it was night. The end to another long day. It had been the same as yesterday; wake up, go to class and try to get through the day without messing something else up.

As both Jaune and Ruby laid in their beds, they couldn't help but think of how much of a failure they were. Even Ruby, who usually tried to remain upbeat and positive, couldn't lie to herself anymore.

The young scythe wielder sat up. She was shrouded in darkness, not even the light of the moon could penetrate through the canopy that surrounded her. She pushed away the sheet and looked around the dorm room. It was silent, save for Yang's snoring. She could see all of her teammates, each girl was illuminated by the soft moonlight that streamed in through the window.

They had been so nice to her for the past week. Even Weiss, who normally objected to everything Ruby said, had been noticeably nicer to the younger girl. But each time they smiled, each time they told her it wasn't her fault, she hated herself just a little bit more. They were all great Huntresses, even better friends. And they were stuck with her for a leader.

Ruby sighed and laid back down. There had to be some way she could get better. Someway she could be the leader that they deserved.

Just as she thought that, her scroll beeped. She had a message.

_Please get dressed and come meet me at the training halls, in the main training room. _

_-Ozpin_

* * *

Jaune tossed and turned under his sheets. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get any sleep. Finally giving up, he opened up his eyes. The window for the JNPR dorm was facing West, so the moon couldn't be seen. The only light that illuminated the dorm room was that of the stars and the light from Beacon's street lamps.

He sat up, and pushed himself to swing his legs around the edge of the bed. Then he stayed there. Just listening to the sounds of his teammate's heavy breathing. Nora was the only one of his team that snored every night. She claimed it was because she had a bee stuck in her head, and whenever she fell asleep it buzzed around in her brain. Apparently, its name was Maurice.

Jaune smiled as he thought of how his teams' dynamic worked. Nora was the crazy tough, scary strong and wildly energetic chick that everyone (except Weiss) learned to love. Ren was the always calm, super patient and usually silent guy that somehow keeps her under control. Pyrrha was the very confident, outstandingly beautiful and nicest person you'd ever meet. And he, well, he was the guy that always died first in the movies.

With a sigh, Jaune stood up. Maybe, if he talked to the headmaster, he would let Pyrrha be the leader. She would certainly be a better fit for the job than he was.

The sound of his scroll beeping snapped him out of his self-loathing thoughts. He leaned back over his bed and searched through the sheets until he found the small device.

Why did Ozpin want to see him in the training hall?

* * *

The leaders both left their dorm rooms at the same time, and were surprised to see the other awake and fully dressed in their everyday clothes.

"You're up late." Jaune commented as he closed his door.

"I was about to say the same to you." Ruby replied. "So, why are you up."

Jaune paused for a moment, the absence of sleep giving him a momentary mental lapse. "Oh, Ozpin wanted to see me in the training hall." He told her, his tone gave way to show how anxious he was. It didn't help his anxiety when he saw Ruby frown.

"Me too." She told him, holding up her scroll with the message still on the screen. It was no longer a message to her, it now felt like an invitation to her own funeral.

They were quiet for a few moments, the silence turning awkward when Jaune shifted in place and scratched the back of his neck. "Think we're gonna be kicked out or something?" He asked quietly. Ruby looked down at the floor before responding. Her voice sounded heavy, as if she'd sort of given up.

"Honestly? It wouldn't surprise me."

* * *

The walk to the training halls was silent. The only sound was that of Ruby's boots clicking on the stone board walk.

The training halls at Beacon were top notch. Everything was computerized. There was one main computer that controlled the different practice rooms of the training hall. There were many rooms, each set up with their own computer. All the students had to do was type in the environment they wanted to train in and the computer would materialize it up for you. You could also insert different Grimm creatures, and the computer would materialize those up too. But, the computerized Grimm were programmed to cease fighting when a student's aura reached the red zone, that way no fatalities would occur.

Though there were many practice rooms in the training hall, there was a main room that was bigger that all the others. It was called the Training Room. It was the biggest room because it was where the professors took their classes when they needed to demonstrate something. This was where Jaune and Ruby were headed.

When they reached the training room, they found that it was already set to 'Barren Landscape' mode. The large room was empty, the ground was light brown and cracked because it was so dry. The 'sky' was empty of clouds and the sun beat down on them. Though it looked as if it were one hundred degrees in the room, it was probably only about seventy five. In the middle of the room, professor Ozpin was standing with his coffee mug in hand, Glynda Goodwitch stood beside him. The two leaders hurried over to the man.

"We're sorry if we kept you waiting sir." Ruby said when they reached him. Jaune nodded in agreement.

The headmaster let the silence between them drag out, and took a small sip of his coffee. Glynda's narrowed eyes never left the two students, they couldn't tell if she was angry, or just staring.

"So," Ozpin finally broke the uncomfortable silence. His voice held its usual monotone. "It's come to my attention that you and your teams have run into a bit of a... Slump." He went quiet again, watching their responses. Neither leader said anything, they just looked down at the ground.

"I believe I may be able to help."

* * *

( A/N: This is an idea I've been playing around with for a while, and I am excited to start writing it. The title will make sense in the next chapter.

**What this story will contain:**

**-Both Jaune and Ruby will be bad asses. **

**-There will be Jaune harem. **

**-There will be a Ruby harem. (Is the gender flipped version of a harem still called a harem?)**

Well, that's all for now. Next chapter will be up hopefully within the next two days. I'd appreciate a review if you have enough time, it really helps me out a lot. See you next time!)

-Wolfpoet


	2. Light the Flame

_Strike the match..._

_...Light the flame..._

* * *

"You can help us?" Jaune asked. His eyes, which had previously been focused on the ground, now stared up at the professors.

Ozpin nodded. "I can." He paused again to take another sip of coffee.

"How?" Ruby asked, not waiting for the man to finish drinking. If the headmaster could help her, even the slightest bit, maybe she could build on that and be a better leader for her team.

Ozpin took a few moments to look over both Jaune and Ruby, before his eyes transferred over to the blonde woman beside him. Professor Goodwitch, who had gone to tapping on her holographic tablet, stopped what she was doing when she felt the man's eyes on her. Her own neon green orbs flicked over to him, before giving him a subtle nod. She reached into her pocket and pulled out what seemed to be a small, glass pill box. In it were two black pills.

"What are those?" Jaune asked, squinting to see the oval shaped pills better.

The headmaster took the pill box and held it closer to the two students. "These are experimental enhancers. They're called GB." His voice was monotone, but he didn't sound uninterested.

"Enhancers?" Ruby repeated, tapping the glass. "My sister said she'll kill me if I ever take drugs."

"Yeah, and I don't think my team would be very forgiving with me either, sir." Jaune added. Both the leaders wanted to get better, but they didn't want to get better by taking drugs. "And, um, isn't it illegal for you to offer these to us?"

Ozpin chuckled at their responses, an amused smile on his lips. "No, you misunderstand. GB is not a pharmaceutical, and I assure you, it is not illegal." He told them. His smile then disappeared, replaced by a serious expression. "I will say again, they are experimental enhancers. They are designed to enhance the consumer's battle prowess by a significant amount."

Both Jaune and Ruby stared blankly at the headmaster. "Battle prowess...?" The blonde boy repeated before Ruby could. It was clear that neither of them were quite sure what that meant.

Glynda, far less patient than the headmaster, let out an annoyed sigh. "It greatly improves your skills, expertise and performance in battle." She hissed. The tone of her words, accompanied by a harsh glare, showed just how irritated she was.

Trying to ignore the abrasive professor, both the team leaders let the woman's words sink into their minds.

"So, if we take the GB," Ruby began to put the pieces together in her brain. "We'll be better leaders? And it's not illegal or bad?" She looked over to Jaune, who was giving a nervous glance back at her. Both had the the same thought; this sounded too good to be true. Ruby learned from Yang, and from watching a ton of movies, if something was too good to be true, it probably wasn't. "What's the catch?"

The headmaster chuckled once more. "Well, Ms. Rose," Ozpin glanced at the short girl. "Nothing in this world comes without a price." Both of the students groaned, their shoulders sagging slightly. Why couldn't anything in life be easy?

"As I said before," He continued. "These GB pills are experimental. They have a few side effects that we have not been able to work out." Ruby and Jaune continued to look at him, so he took it as a sign to continue. "When someone takes these GB, they become very a powerful Hunter or Huntress. Their brain is able to analyze situations and respond quicker. It also enhances strength, speed and aura significantly. But, they lose control of themselves, in a way. Their personality changes. They become more reckless, it becomes harder for them to hold back."

Jaune cocked his head. "Well that doesn't seem too bad." He commented.

"You didn't let me finish, Mr. Arc." Ozpin said sharply, making Jaune stutter out an apology. "It makes the consumer have the urge to kill or, at the very least, shed blood. It lasts until the all of the pills effects wear off."

The headmaster's words hung in the air, they almost seemed to echo. Both Jaune and Ruby were speechless, Ruby especially.

"But," Both student's attention snapped back the grey-haired man. "With practice, the consumer can learn to gain control of themselves and be able to think clearly."

"But sir," Ruby began pacing back and forth as she spoke. "Having the urge to kill? Doesn't that sound a bit too dangerous? I mean, fighting for the sake of killing would make us no different than-"

"Than the creatures of Grimm?" Ozpin finished for her. Ruby stopped pacing, both she and Jaune looked up at the man. "What did you think GB stood for?" At his question, he received blank stares. "It stands for Grimm Blood."

There was a moment of silence... Before both the students yelled, "What?!" In unison. Ruby spoke again, but her voice had gone up two octaves. "You want us to swallow a pill full of Grimm blood?!"

Jaune quickly joined Ruby in her shock, his voice also raised an octave. "Ozpin, sir, that's crazy!" He exclaimed. "Isn't that stuff poisonous or something?!"

Ozpin was quiet, he let the students go off on him. He understood their concerns, so he let them vent. They went on for about five minutes. When Jaune and Ruby had calmed down, they looked to Ozpin to see his response.

"Are you finished?" He asked, seemingly unaffected. The team leaders glanced at each other, before looking back at the headmaster and nodding. "Good. Please allow me to clarify a few things. GB has been tested before, and is of no harm to the consumer. And I don't want you to swallow anything. I am offering you a chance to become stronger. You do not have to do this, but it is an opportunity that will not be offered to you again." He sighed before taking a long swig of coffee. When he was finished, his eyes scanned over the two teenagers in front if him. Both seemed very nervous and unsure of what to do.

"I am confident that both of you can control this. I wouldn't offer it to you if I thought otherwise. I will be with you throughout the entire process, should you choose to accept it. Be warned, if you choose to take the GB, you will never be the same." He told them honestly. "Over time the effects, the enhanced aura, strength and speed, will become more permanent. Eventually you won't even need to take it any more."

"...But it's still cheating sir." Ruby said quietly. "I don't want to cheat."

"Well, not really." The headmaster told her. "I'm the headmaster of this school, do you really think I would hand you a cheat sheet?"

"Um... No?" Jaune hesitated.

"If you do choose to take the GB, you will not be allowed to take them for any sort of school activity. They are only to be used during training, or when he situation is dire and life threatening."

Ozpin handed his coffee to Glynda, unscrewed the top off of the glass pill box, and held it out in front of him. "The choice is yours." The two leaders looked at it with mixed emotions. They were very unsure of what to do now.

After a long moment of silence, Jaune reached forward and grabbed one of the pills. He held it in his hand for a while, rolling it around and feeling its' smooth surface. "I'll do it." He said quietly. His voice was filled with uneasiness, yet at the same time contained a hint of certainty.

Ruby looked at him, incredulous. She couldn't believe what he was saying. "Jaune...?" She said his name as a question. Like she was asking him why.

He looked at her, blue eyes gazing into silver. "I'm tired of being the guy that cowers behind someone else. I want to be the leader my team deserves, Ruby."

The scythe wielder was quiet. It was like her friend had already changed. It took a little longer to respond. For Ruby, she was worried most about hurting someone. What if she couldn't control it? Then again... It could also be a big help with her training. With GB, she could be the great leader she'd always dreamed of being.

She reached out and took the other pill. "I'm in too." She said, her tone of voice matching Jaune's. "I'm done being the innocent little kid. You're right Jaune," the two leaders looked at each other. "Our teams deserve the best."

Ozpin and Glynda spared a glance at one another. "Very well." He said, his voice still tight and serious. "The GB you are holding is a very low dose, barely one milligram. The effects will only last a few minutes. When you take it, you will feel a sudden burst of energy, you will want to use the energy to fight. Eventually, you will learn to control it, but this time I want you to embrace it."

"Embrace it? But what if we hurt each other, or if we attack you guys?" Ruby asked. Upon hearing her question, Ozpin chuckled. Glynda even let her lips twitch upwards, almost in a smile.

"Ms. Goodwitch and I can take care of ourselves, I can assure you of that." He told them. "As for attacking one another, you do not have your weapons, and we will stop you if it gets out of hand."

Jaune and Ruby were only slightly comforted by this. They both looked down at the small pills in their hands. If these would make them better hunters, better leaders, then they would do it. They would make their teams proud.

"Are you ready?" Ozpin asked. The students nodded their heads yes. "Ms. Goodwitch?" Glynda tapped a few buttons on her tablet, quickly, like she'd already prepared for this. There was a 'whirring' sound as the Training Room kicked into gear and materialized two Deathstalkers in front of the group of four. Ozpin looked back Ruby and Jaune. "Good luck." With that, he and Ms. Goodwitch walked behind a protective barrier that was made for the purpose of spectating.

Jaune and Ruby both looked at each other once more. "For our teams?" The red cloaked girl asked as she held up her pill. Jaune nodded.

"For our teams."

Then they both popped the pills in their mouth, and swallowed them with a big gulp.

_..._

_Kiss goodbye the bridge you've burned..._

* * *

A/N: I wanted to have this up yesterday, but oh well. Better late than never. I realize this chapter is pretty dialog-heavy, but its because this is an explanation chapter. And the explanation cannot be done without dialog. This honestly isn't my favorite chapter, so I promise they will get better from this point on. They will also get longer.

As for updates, they will be kind of sporadic for a while. I've been trying to come up with some sort of schedule for all my stories, but I have exams coming in a few days, and I'll be totally out of commission for a while. Bottom line: I'm hoping to add a chapter to all my RWBY stories before I start exams, but I can't make any promises.

That's all for now. I would appreciate a review, they make my day! See you guys next time!

-Wolfpoet


	3. Watch it Burn

_Watch it burn..._

_..._

At first, they felt nothing. Both Jaune and Ruby had their eyes squeezed shut, waiting for something, anything, to let them know the GB was working. But there was nothing. Then, all at once, it hit them like a bullet train.

Ecstasy.

That was the only way to describe it. Their body's tingled as a sensation of pure euphoria flowed through their veins. For the first few seconds, it was almost mind numbing.

Ruby couldn't stop the small squeak from escaping her lips. Jaune didn't make a sound, however his body trembled against his will, every part of him was shaking. But they hadn't felt the full force of effects. Now, along with the euphoric feeling, something else coursed through them.

Energy. Pure, unbridled energy. Ruby began trembling like Jaune, but it was not because of the ecstasy. It was because she could no longer stay still.

They wanted to act on this energy. They _needed_ to act on this energy. Needed to run, needed to jump, needed to scream. _Had_ to. Had to hit, had to kick, had to hurt something. Anything.

But wait, what if they hurt someone?

Both the leaders couldn't stay still now. They didn't want to stay still. Why would they do that when they could use this energy for more exciting activities? They had to do something, their teeth were starting to grind. Control was fleeting, and they felt themselves slipping away. Why were they holding back? It'd be much more fun to let go. Ozpin said to embrace this feeling, who were they to defy their head master? They had to follow orders.

The second they embraced the bloodthirsty feeling, their eyes shot open. If one were to look at them closely, they would see the small flecks of red that now dotted their iris'. Malicious smiles decorated their lips, and their shoulders lowered in a sort of Grimm-like battle stance. They no longer seemed human. They appeared to be savages.

Ruby moved first, advancing towards one of the computerized Deathstalkers at an astonishingly quick pace. Normally, Ruby was fast, maybe the fastest at Beacon. But now, she was like lightening. You could barely even see her as a blur. Not only was she faster, but agile too.

When one of the Deathstalkers attempted to swing one of its pincer's at her, she raised up her hands and caught it. Ruby stood right in front of Grimm's eyes, holding its claw above her head and staring down at the creature. The look in her eyes displayed amusement as she ripped the claw off the Deathstalker. Even computerized Grimm will screech in pain.

The scorpian-like creature scuttled back a few meters, swinging around its remaining pincer in anger. Ruby watched with wicked glee, and was about to go finish it off, but a certain blonde knight stepped in front of her.

"My turn." Jaune's voice was harsher than usual, yet he was still smiling. Like Ruby, he found delight in watching the Grimm's pain. Cracking his knuckles, Jaune prepared to launch himself at the injured Deathstalker.

"Back off Arc!" Ruby snapped and shoved him to the ground. "This one's mine, get your own!" The blonde teen pushed himself up and grabbed the younger girl by the arm.

"I said its my turn." He growled lowly. But Ruby would have none of it. She yanked her arm away and was about to yell at him, when they were both ambushed by the uninjured Deathstalker.

Jaune was hit in the stomach by the the creatures large claws, and he sunk to the ground. But it smacked Ruby in the side with its long tail, sending the small girl flying across the room. She landed face first on the floor and didn't move.

The two Deathstalkers surrounded Jaune, who was kneeling and clutching his mid torso. The injured Grimm raised up its tail and swung it in a downward direction, the golden stinger on the end aimed for Jaune. But it never hit him.

At the last second, he had reached out and caught its tail before it could reach him. Jaune looked up, blood trickled down the side of his mouth and his aura flared around him. He was angry, but he still smiled. Gripping the area just below the stinger firmly, Jaune pulled with all his strength. There was a squelching sound as he ripped half off half it's tail.

The Grimm cried out when another part of its body was removed. But at the moment, Jaune didn't care. He held the half of the scorpion creatures tail at its lowest point, wound up, and hit the Grimm with its own limb. The force of his swing was so strong, it launched the creature back. The computerized Grimm hit the wall of the training room, then dissipated.

Jaune grinned as he wiped the blood away from his mouth. Now to deal with the other one...

"I'm gonna kill you!" The blonde knight turned around quickly, but the threat had not been directed at him. That was plainly obvious when Ruby appeared in front of the remaining Deathstalker and delivered a strong kick to its multiple eyes. The Grimm scurried back, Ruby's kick distorting its vision and cracking its armor.

Jaune grinned and jogged up beside her. "Did you have a nice nap, Rose?" He asked her in a mocking tone.

Ruby turned and shot him an annoyed glare. Now that she was looking at him, he could see she had multiple scratches decorating her face and a bruise on her cheek. All were results of her hitting the ground when she'd been thrown. "Wow, you're face is even more messed up than before." He teased. In response, Ruby punched his wounded torso, making Jaune wince.

"Shut up, Arc." She spat. Jaune straitened up again, grumbled a few curse words, and faced the Deathstalker.

"Gotta plan?" He asked her, his body ached to advance on the target and rip out each limb one by one.

"Yea," Ruby replied, her smile resembling that of a psychopath. "Make it suffer." Her tone displayed her excitement.

"Nice plan." Jaune agreed. At the same time, they both advanced towards the Grimm.

Had it not been computerized, the Deathstalker would indeed have suffered horribly. The two team leaders beat it savagely, attacking it in a blurry of fists and kicks whenever there was an opening. They stopped before it could die, and began ripping off its limbs. They started with the legs. Originally, the Deathstalker had eight, four legs on each side. But Jaune and Ruby maniacally tore off two from each side, leaving it with only four remaining. But the creature was not dead yet, and could still slowly move around. So then they tore off its pincers. Each leader grabbed one claw, and pulled them out at the same time. Finally, the creature died and dissipated.

"Aw, it died already?" Ruby pouted, obviously disappointed. Both she and Jaune had a few extra bruises on their body from when the Deathstalker had gotten in a lucky shot or two.

"Well, all fun things must come to an end eventually." Jaune told her, joining in her downcast mood.

"That was very interesting." Came a calm voice. Looking over, the students saw both Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch step out from behind the transparent barrier. "I'd say the GB was a success."

"Better than success." Ruby said, pride lining her words. "We kicked ass!" Normally, the young girl wouldn't dare utter any words of foul language, but now she couldn't care less.

"Does this mean we get to keep training with it?" Jaune asked after he and Ruby high-fived.

Ozpin nodded. "Yes. I will allow you to continue training with the GB. From here on out we will be focusing mostly on control." He paused for a moment. "And remember, it is to be used for training only, unless I say otherwise."

Ruby waved him off. "Yeah yeah, whatever." She said with a bored voice before her eyes lit up again. "Yang is gonna be so jealous when I tell her-"

"No." The headmaster cut her off.

"No?" Ruby repeated.

"No. You may not tell anyone about the GB. Not even your teammates." Ozpin instructed, his voice turning serious. Both the leaders groaned in annoyance.

"Awww, why not?" Jaune asked.

"Because I said so." The headmaster said, his eyes narrowing. "And if one of you decides to ignore this rule I will take the GB away from both of you."

The students both crossed their arms and sighed. They resembled children who had just been told they weren't allowed to brag about their new toy. Reluctantly, they both grumbled something along the likes of 'fine'.

"Very good." Ozpin said with a nod. "I suggest you teo head to the infirmary. You both are going to feel very sore once the GB wears off." He advised.

"I feel perfectly fine." Jaune scoffed.

"Me too." Ruby added. "In fact, I feel better than eve-" Before she could even finish her sentence, both Ruby and Jaune fainted, their bodies collapsing on the ground.

It was all gone. Everything. The energy, the ecstasy, the euphoria. Gone. It hadn't slowly seeped away, no. It was as if someone pressed a button and drained them of everything, leaving only shallow-breathing husks behind.

Ozpin and Glynda quickly ran over to the students and bent down next to them. "They still have pulses. Glynda, call the medic team immediately!" Ozpin commanded, his voice ringing with urgency. Glynda nodded, and quickly sent the order on her tablet.

"I don't understand..." The blonde woman mumbled as she felt the surface of Ruby's forehead. She was burning up. Glynda moved her hand to Jaune's, he also had a high fever. "Professor Ozpin, what's happening?" She asked, her voice was uncharacteristically filled with genuine concern.

"I don't know." The headmaster admitted. "The GB has been tested multiple times, but this has never occurred. They shouldn't-" His next sentence was cut short when Ruby's eyes shot open, and her body began to violently convulse.

"She's having a seizure!" Glynda exclaimed and attempted to hold the girl's head down. Exactly half a second later, Jaune made a 'hrrrk!' sound before he too began convulsing. Ozpin quickly put his hands on the boy's head and held it down best he could.

"Where are the medics?!"

* * *

**A/N:** I would first like to apologize for this chapter's quality, especially the fight scenes. I had the scene completed when I was typing it on my computer. But two days ago my computer hit me with the Blue-Screen-Of-Death. Needless to say, I am pretty pissed, I lost this chapter and the chapters for all my other stories. But, because so many people followed this story, I really wanted to get a new chapter up, and I quickly typed this on my phone. So, I apologize for crappy fight scene. The next ones will be better.

Next, I'd like to address the questions I've received about the harem. First off: the harem will not appear for a few more chapters. The reason for this being that I would like to set this story up and have a good foundation before I add that in. Sorry If that's not what some of you wanted to hear, but you'll only have to wait a bit longer.

Second question: Is the harem going to be separate or shared? The harem will be separate for Jaune and Ruby, separate meaning it will have different members for each harem. Who are the members? You'll just have to wait to find out.

Lastly, I'd like to thank everyone who has followed, favorited and commented. I did not expect that many people to be interested in this. You guys are what keeps me writing. Without you guys's support I would be a lazy bum who watched tv all day. Thanks again, and happy spring break!

-Wolfpoet


	4. The Aftermath

_How did it feel?  
_

_Wasn't it Amazing? _

_The ripping_

_The shrieking _

_The feel of Victory_

_Invigorating..._

_..._

_...If only they'd been real..._

_...We need something real..._

_..._

* * *

Ruby awoke slowly, her eyes were unwilling to open. Her head was pounding, as if someone was hitting it repeatedly with a sledge hammer.

For a few minutes, Ruby just laid still, waiting for the awful pain to subside. As she did so, she became aware of two things. One, there was a repetitive beeping sound, sharp and loud. Each time she heard it, she couldn't help but wince. Two, she was not alone in the room. She could hear labored breathing coming a few feet away.

After gathering up what little strength she had, Ruby opened her eyes. Bright fluorescent lights pierced her irises, causing her to hiss in pain and retreat back to the safety of her eyelids. When a few more moments had passed, and she'd prepared herself for the oncoming brightness, she opened her eyes again. It took a couple of seconds for Ruby to adjust to the lights, but soon she could see, barely.

Her vision was hazy, everything appeared in globs of color, but it was mostly just white. After a short time of looking at nothing except globs, the world started to clear up a bit. But it was all still blurry.

From what she could see, she was in a large white infirmary room, lying on a hospital bed. Attached to her were many cords, one of which led to a heart rate monitor that stood next to her bed. At least she'd found the source of the infernal beeping.

A new wave of pain blasted through Ruby's skull, making her wince. Instinctively, she attempted to bring her hand up to her head... But she couldn't. Ruby looked at her hands. Both of them were hand-cuffed to either side of the hospital bed, restricting her from lifting her arms farther than a few inches.

"What the..?" Ruby muttered to herself. Her voice was quiet and scratchy. She pulled on them, attempting to release herself somehow. But her arms were so heavy she had to stop.

Everything hurt. Her whole body felt exhausted, as if she'd run thirty marathons in a row. She could barely move, and when she did move it took everything she had not to cry out in pain.

There were sounds of stirring on her right side, catching her attention. Weakly, and slowly, she turned her head. About an arms length away was another hospital bed; Ruby could barely see a familiar face laying on the pillow.

"Jaune..." She tried to call to him, but it came out as a hoarse whisper. However, with the room being so quiet, the blonde boy was able to hear her.

"Ru-Ow!" Jaune yelped in surprise and pain. He had made the mistake of trying to sit up, unprepared for the waves of suffering that erupted through his body. He was forced to lay back down and stare at the ceiling.

"Are you ok?" She asked quickly, her voice showing her worry. The only response se received was a groan.

"Jaune, are you handcuffed too?" Ruby questioned. There were a short period of silence, presumably Jaune was slowly looking down at his hands.

"Yeah." He answered finally, returning his gaze to the ceiling. "What happened? Why are we handcuffed to hospital beds?" He asked. Though he was speaking somewhat softly, his tone displayed confusion and irritation. "And why does everything hurt?" Ruby could only make a small noise, something that sounded like 'don't know'.

At that moment, the white door on the left side of the room opened and the headmaster of Beacon stepped into the room. His eyes analyzed the two unmoving students before he closed the door.

"I'm glad to see you're both awake." Ozpin told them sincerely. Though the two teens couldn't see it due to their exhausted state, the headmaster had faint purple bags under his eyes. He had not gotten any rest, he'd been too worried about his students to even think about sleeping. "How do you feel?"

"Like someone smacked me with a train." Ruby answered, her voice faltering. Jaune let out a groan in agreement. The short haired girl then added, "My face really hurts, like it was run over with a truck."

Ozpin nodded. "That makes sense, you did land on it." At this statement, the headmaster received quizzical expressions. He raised a single eyebrow. "Do you not remember what happened?" He questioned.

Ruby and Jaune closed their eyes and went silent. Both of their memories were foggy, and they couldn't seem to gain the whole picture. "I remember you gave us the GB..." Jaune answered hesitantly. "But after that, I can only remember bits and pieces. Kind of like random short clips from a movie." He explained. Ruby made a 'mhmm' sound in agreement.

"Um, professor," Ruby spoke up. "Why are we handcuffed to the hospital beds?" She asked, flicking her eyes down to the cuffs before returning them to the headmaster.

"Oh, I apologize for that. It was a safety precaution." Ozpin said as he took out a small key from his pocket. He then went from Ruby to Jaune, removing both handcuffs from each student. He put the cuffs away in a pocket of his coat.

"Safety precaution?" Jaune repeated. "Sir, could you please explain what's going on?"

Ozpin nodded again. "Yes, of course." He answered with a deep sigh. Though both students were extremely groggy, they could've sworn the professor sounded a bit guilty as he recalled the previous night's events.

"After I gave you the GB, you and Ms. Rose went up against two computerized Deathstalkers without your weapons. You were successful in eliminating them by..." The headmaster thought for a moment. "...Utilizing some form of teamwork.

"However," he continued. "Not long after defeating the Deathstalkers, you both collapsed and experienced violent seizures." Ozpin paused, letting his words hang in the air for a few moments.

Ruby appeared nervous. Sure, it was cool that she'd defeated a couple of Grimm almost by herself, but she had also had a seizure. Nothing like that'd ever happened to her. It was frightening. If it didn't hurt so much, she would've been biting her lower lip.

Jaune was full of disbelief. He and Ruby had defeated two Deathstalkers by themselves. Without weapons! His excitement would've shown, if Ozpin hadn't added the part about the violent seizure.

"We called the medical staff immediately," The professor went on. "And they brought you here, to the infirmary. But, when they had you on the gurneys and were wheeling you to the E.R., you two began to thrash around. It didn't look like a normal seizure, your movements were too precise. At one point you injured a few of the doctors, not severely, so don't worry. However, in order to prevent anymore accidents, I had to restrain you with the aura-handcuffs. They're like normal handcuffs, except they reduce a person's aura to a low, but safe, level. You should start getting a bit of strength back as your aura replenishes itself."

This was proved to be true, as Jaune and Ruby were beginning to feel a bit more rejuvenated, but still exhausted. The pain barely let up at all, it still racked their bodies.

Silence overcame the room once more, the only sound being the two heart rate monitors' consistent beeping. It wasn't comforting.

"Sir..." Ruby spoke, her voice still as soft as a whisper. Ozpin looked at her, showing she had his attention. "What happened to us?" Though she did her best to hide it, her tone revealed her true feelings. Ruby was scared.

The headmaster removed his glasses and rubbed the ridge of his nose. It took a few moments before he could bring himself to look at his students again.

"I'm afraid this, the entire situation, is my fault." He said. His words were heavy with guilt and regret. "The GB was tested thoroughly, just not thoroughly enough. When I was looking over the test results to determine weather or not it was safe to give to you, I failed to notice that all the test subjects had been in their late twenties and early thirties. The enhancers had not been tested on humans of your age."

Jaune and Ruby listened intently to the professor, absorbing every word that he spoke. Jaune's eyes dropped back down to his hands, Ozpin was unsure if it was because of what he had just told him, or if it's as because the boy was exhausted. Perhaps both.

Ruby, however, still looked up at him. Ozpin knew why she hadn't moved her eyes, he still hadn't answered her question. He hadn't told her what was happening to them.

"Your auras were being suffocated by the GB." He said slowly. "You were fighting for your lives, and you almost lost."

The students were at a loss for words. They'd almost died because of something that was supposed to help them. It nearly suffocated them, according to the headmaster.

"Grim Blood," Ozpin began explaining. "Is similar to human and Faunus blood in a way. Each cell contains a small organelle that houses aura in-"

"But I thought Grimm didn't have aura." Jaune interrupted, finally finding his voice.

"That is a popular belief." Ozpin said. "But that is not correct. Grimm have aura, but theirs is different. They can't access it like we can, they don't know how, thankfully." Jaune seemed to think over this a moment, then nodded for him to continue.

"Anyway," the grey haired man went on, recovering his somber expression. "Each cell has a small organelle that houses aura. GB is successful in working as an enhancer because when you consume it, as you both did last night, the Grimm aura combines with your own, giving you Grimm-like abilities.

"At first, the human or Faunus' body is not able to control it because the GB causes a spike in the aura. This also results in the behavioral changes that occur. After training with it for a certain period of time, the user learns control it, and can then access the abilities anywhere without any side effects." The man looked warily at both students. "Unfortunately, because you're both still young, Ruby especially, it will not be so easy for either of you."

"Can't we just stop taking it?" Jaune asked, his tone containing a hint of desperation. "If we just don't use it anymore, then we'll ok, right?" He suggested, searching for any signs of reassurance on the professor's expression.

"Yeah," Ruby agreed quickly. "We wanted to take this to be better leaders. But I'm sure we can find a safer way."

Ozpin frowned. "Do the two of you remember what I told you before I allowed you to take the GB?" He asked. The students looked at each other, then back at Ozpin, shaking their heads no. "I told you that once you took the GB you wouldn't be able to go back to how you were before. Even if the GB had worked without issues, you wouldn't have been able to stop training with it without experiencing very harmful side effects. But now, if you stopped taking the GB, it would most likely kill you."

Jaune felt himself getting angry, his face turned the lightest shade of red. "So, if we keep taking it we die, if we stop taking it we die! What the hell are we supposed to do Ozpin?!" The blonde yelled heatedly.

The professor waited a few moments for his student to calm down. The boy was understandably angry. "You're both going to have to continue training with the GB. But," he added quickly as he saw Jaune get ready to shout again. "Your training will be much more intense. In order for you to survive and control the Grimm aura, your bodies will need to be able to handle the GB without using up all of your own aura. While you two were unconscious, Ms. Goodwitch and I came up with a training program that should be proficient."

Both students looked up at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue. Jaune was still angry, as he viewed this to be solely Ozpin's fault, but he was quiet as he listened to the headmasters words.

"This training program will help us?" Ruby asked, remarkably calm. Jaune weakly turned his eyes towards her, surprised. How could she sound so calm during this? "We still get to use the GB, which will help us become better hunters, and the training program will help us handle the Grimm aura?" The headmaster was also surprised at Ruby's passiveness, especially considering how scared she was only a minute ago.

Ruby seemed to feel the two sets of eyes on her, so she looked down at her hands before speaking. "Well, I figure, there's no use getting angry." She said, not meeting either of their gazes. "We can't change what we've done, and Ozpin we can't stop taking it. We might as well train out hardest and learn to control it." The short haired girl slowly turned her head to look at her friend.

"Jaune, we said our teams deserve the best, that we'd do anything to be the leaders that they deserved. This isn't exactly what either of us had in mind, and its dangerous, but we really don't have a choice. We might as well get the most out of it and work our hardest." She spoke to him directly.

Jaune mulled over her words. She was taking this pretty well, certainly better than he was. But, maybe, Ruby really was willing to do anything for her team, no matter how dangerous. And again, like she said, they really didn't have a choice in this matter. Might as well make the best of it, it really would be useless to try and fight it.

"Ok," Jaune muttered, redirecting his attention to Ozpin again. "The training program, how does it work?" The headmaster nodded to both of them, glad that they had decided not to give up.

"In order to control the GB, your bodies will need to be in their best condition. This means you will be training everyday from here on out unless I or Ms. Goodwitch say otherwise. I will allow you to skip training today so that you may recover, but tomorrow you will be working. The nurses have informed me that, after a whole day off for rest and letting your own aura replenish itself, you should be back to normal.

"Starting tomorrow, you will need to begin going to sleep at eight o' clock, and wake up at four o' clock. This will give you a full eight hours of sleep. When you wake up, come straight to the Training Room. You both will train until seven thirty, giving you thirty minutes to get to wash up and get to class." Ruby had to hold herself back from complaining. Waking up at four in the morning? But, honestly, that wasn't her biggest problem.

"We will focus mostly on controlling the GB and conditioning your bodies to their maximum." Ozpin continued. He was beginning to regain his no-nonsense personality. "As for classes, I will instruct all of your teachers to give you a bit of leeway in regards to homework. This doesn't mean you won't have any work, just less. Remember, you aren't to tell anyone of your training with the GB, or I will thoroughly reprimand you. Understand?" Both students nodded. "Good. Are there any questions?"

Ruby and Jaune each had tons of questions, but when Ruby opened her mouth to ask one, she was cut off by what sounded like doors being slammed open a little distance away.

All three occupants of the infirmary room snapped their heads to the white door of the room, but it remained closed. Behind it, muffled panic yells suddenly erupted from the waiting room.

"I'm looking for Ruby Rose! Where is she?!" The frantic shouts could only belong to one person, Ruby's sister, Yang Xiao Long.

"She's in that room over there, but you can't go in right now!" Came the voice of a very startled sounding nurse.

"Like Hell I can't!" Yang yelled, her tone turning angry. There was shuffling and a crash as something that sounded like glass hit the ground and shattered.

The door to the infirmary room was suddenly thrown open so violently it nearly flew off its hinges. In the doorway stood Yang, her golden hair was set ablaze and her eyes had turned a bloody crimson. It was common knowledge at beacon that only two things could get Yang this mad: someone had either messed with her hair, or done something to Ruby.

She whipped her gaze around the room until she spotted Ruby. Jaune and Ozpin watched as the blonde brawler's anger melted away to worry, concern and fear.

Yang rushed forward and threw her arms around her sister, shaking her and nearly picking her up. "Ruby, are you ok?! I was so worried when I heard you were in the intermarry!"

Ruby couldn't concentrate on what her sister was saying, she couldn't focus on anything. She didn't even notice when the rest of her team, along with the NPR of JNPR, swarmed into the room as well. All she felt was white hot pain. Each time her sister shook or moved her, new waves of agony flooded through her body. At first, she just went into shock as her arms and legs stiffened. But, after the first few seconds, she gave out a loud, painful cry. Everyone was startled and jumped back a bit, but Yang still had her hands on the sides of Ruby's shoulders.

"Yang you're hurting her!" Exclaimed Weiss. As the heiress yelled this, Blake quickly, but gently, pulled Yang away from her leader. Ruby fell with a small 'fwump' back onto the mattress and pillow. She whimpered in pain and quickly claimed that she was alright.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!" Yang began, worry filling her voice again.

"It's fine, I'm alright." Ruby said weakly, offering her sister a reassuring smile.

Only a few feet away, Jaune's team had surrounded his bed. Pyrrha was fretting over her leader's well-being, ignoring Jaune's claims that he was fine. Nora was babbling on and on about how she would never leave Jaune's side again and would kill anything that got within ten feet of him. Ren remained quiet, though showed obvious concern for his friend.

"You two are clearly not fine!" Yang shouted above all the chatter. "Now what happened? Why were you up so early? Was it team CRDL? If it was, I'll break every fricking one of their limbs one by one!" Nora cheered in agreement.

"No it wasn't CRDL." Jaune tried to assure the busty blonde. "It was..." His voice drifted off. He wasn't allowed to tell them what really happened. He glanced at Ruby, but she only gave a helpless shrug.

"From what I understand, it was a training incident." Ozpin sad calmly and stepped forward. "I'm afraid one of the computerized Grimm had a glitch and attacked even though their auras were in the red. I assure you it will not happen again."

Yang stepped up close to the headmaster and stabbed him in the chest with her finger. "You better hope it doesn't happen again." She growled. "Because if that computer hurts my baby sister and her friend like this again I will castr-"

"Yang!" Weiss cut her off as she and Blake pulled her away from Ozpin.

"I'm so sorry about that, professor." Weiss apologized quickly on behalf of her teammate. "We're all just worked up about our leaders being in the infirmary. Yang just lashed out, she didn't mean it."

Ozpin smiled. "It's quite alright." He assured her, allowing Weiss to take a sigh relief. The headmaster began walking in the direction of he door before pausing and looking back. "You all should hurry, classes will be starting soon."

Yang stubbornly crosses her arms and stood beside her sister's bed. "I'm not going anywhere. Im staying here with Ruby today." She announced.

Blake leaned against one of the walls. "I think I'll stay here too." She said in her usual monotone.

Weiss, who normally objected to this sort of thing, gave an audible huff. "Well, I certainly can't leave you three here alone, even if one of you is incapacitated."

"Oh, oh!" Nora bounced up and down as she seized Ren's arm. "Me and Ren will stay too! We can be Jaune and Ruby's nurses! I'll give them all their shots!" The two leaders gained worried expressions at the mere thought of Nora handling a needle.

"Perhaps I should stay as well." Pyrrha stated, trying to sound as professional as possible.

"Guys, we'll be perfectly fine." Jaune said, stifling a yawn.

"Yeah... We'llbeokay." Ruby mumbled, her words slurring together as her eyes closed.

"Your leaders need their rest." Ozpin stated, gesturing to the blonde knight and the red haired reaper. "They can barely keep their eyes open as it is. They don't need any distractions. Now go off to class." Yang opened he mouth to argue again, but Ozpin raised up his hand. "No more arguing. Go."

Reluctantly, the six students said goodbye to the leaders and walked out of the room. Except for Yang, who had to be dragged out. Ozpin waited for them all to leave before looking back at the almost-asleep Jaune and Ruby.

"And I will see you two in the morning."

* * *

**A/N**: Its mah birthday! So, as a present to myself, I worked my butt off to get this updated today.

I get that it's really late for an update, and I'm sorry but I just can't keep a regular updating schedule. I'm also sorry that this is chapter is fat with dialog. But, as I said before, explanation chapters need lots of dialog. This is definitely not my favorite chapter, but it had to be written.

Again, is like to thank everyone who has followed, favorited and reviewed, it really helps me out. You guys are friggen awesome. The story will get better from here, as I have lots of plans and blueprints. Please leave a review if you have any questions, comments or concerns, and I will do my best to respond. See you guys next time!

-Wolfpoet


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